The Renewed GeoConnections: Focus, Major Program Tracks

1
The Renewed GeoConnectionsFocus, Major Program
Tracks Governance
CGDI Technical Workshop, June 23, 2006
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Overview

• Past Accomplishments
• Focus of the Renewed GeoConnections program
• Major program tracks
• Governance

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Past Accomplishments Building the Backbone

• Established the Canadian Geospatial Data
  Infrastructure (CGDI) Through partnerships with
  industry, developed core operational
  infrastructure (advanced technologies/applications
  , databases, and portals that increase access,
  sharing and use of geographic data)
• Delivered common agreement on data licensing
  common policy approach on licensing practices for
  data to remove policy barriers and to simplify
  access for users, businesses and for data
  sharing
• Created standardized framework data facilitated
  the creation and delivery of seamless, up-to-date
  and maintained framework data (named GeoBase)
  accessible at no cost to users.
• Strengthened Federal-provincial-territorial
  collaboration Negotiated first ever Ministerial
  Canadian Geomatics Accord with provinces/territori
  es

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Past Accomplishments Successful Partnerships

• Leveraging investments and develop partnerships
  Canada has benefited from over 170M in program
  activity based on the GeoConnections 60M
  investment through cost-sharing partnerships with
  industry, academia and provinces/territories, and
  non-governmental agencies
• Growing an innovative geomatics industry
  advancing innovation and growth of the high-tech
  geomatics sector through partnerships and
  advanced technology development 70 of program
  funds expended on industry partnership projects

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Renewed Focus Federal Budget 2005

• Under the program, governments, the private
  sector, academia and non-government organizations
  have partnered to develop the Canadian Geospatial
  Data Infrastructure, bringing together data
  previously held by different organizations and
  orders of government. Budget 2005 provides
  60 million over five years for GeoConnections to
  continue this work and to support decision making
  on a broader range of issues, particularly
  health, public safety, sustainable development,
  the environment and issues of importance to
  Aboriginal people.

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Renewed Focus Program elements
The Renewed GeoConnections Program will operate
the core CGDI, ensure its technological evolution
and expand its use with the geomatics community
for priority issues (health, safety, env. SD,
Aboriginal matters). Focus

• APPLICATIONS partner with experts to build
  applications that serve specifically targeted
  communities of practice
• CONTENT collaborate to provide the framework and
  other thematic data with attributes prioritized
  by these communities of practice
• TECHNOLOGIES STANDARDS maintain, operate and
  expand the core infrastructure and standards, as
  required by users
• POLICIES support consistent geomatics policy
  development federally and nationally to reduce
  duplication and improve use of the CGDI

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Renewed Focus Desired Outcomes

• After 5 years, the result of GeoConnections II
  should be
• User Capacity decision makers increase their use
  of location-based information to address issues
  in priority areas (health, safety, env. SD,
  Aboriginal matters)
• Content priority user communities secure access
  to user-defined and timely geospatial data
  required for their business processes
• Technologies Standards Thru a model
  partnership approach, the F/P/T community and
  other stakeholders operate and evolve technical
  standards and infrastructure to meet common needs
• Policy Coordination the F/P/T community and
  other stakeholders avoid duplication and increase
  benefits by transforming business processes,
  implement policies that increase information
  sharing

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Renewed Focus Shift to User-Driven CGDI
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Renewed Focus Bridging the Innovation Gap

• innovators - venturesome, educated, multiple info
  sources
• early adopters - social leaders, popular,
  educated
• early majority - deliberate, many informal social
  contacts
• late majority - sceptical, traditional, lower
  socio-economic status
• laggards - neighbours and friends are main info
  sources, fear of debt

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Major Program Tracks
Delivery of the Renewed GeoConnections Program is
based on five core tracks

• User Capacity
• Content
• Standards and Technology
• Policy and Communications
• Value Management Office

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Program Tracks User Capacity

• Goal Increased use of location-based
  information by decision makers, to address issues
  in four priority areas public health, public
  safety, sustainable development environment,
  and Aboriginal well-being
• Primary user group decision support users in the
  four priority program areas
• Three sub-tracks
• National Information Systems (NIS)
• User Applications
• User Readiness

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Program Tracks Content

• Goal Securing long-term access to
  location-based data needed by CGDI users
• Primary user group geospatial data providers,
  application developers and experts
• Four sub-tracks
• Maintaining framework data
• Expanding framework data
• Access to thematic data content
• Building regional atlases

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Program Tracks Standards and Technology

• Goal End users can benefit from a transparent,
  reliable, standards-based infrastructure which
  delivers geospatial data and information from
  closest to source
• Primary user group experts/solutions providers
  for decision support (includes geomatics private
  sector)
• Three sub-tracks
• Maintain, operate core infrastructure services
  and associated standards
• Evolve core infrastructure and standards
• Directed innovation of enabling technologies

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Program Tracks Policy and Communications

• Policy core activities
• Support and development of governance model,
  advisory boards, Management Board
• Policy research (e.g. SDI return on investment
  studies)
• Policy advice in support of program delivery
• Communications core activities
• Content development and coordination for
  GeoConnections Program Web site
• Conference/outreach activities planning
• Communications products
• Banners, Annual report, Printed products

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Program Tracks Value Management Office

• Core activities
• Coordination of program reporting and evaluations
  according to Results-Based Management and
  Accountability Framework (RMAF)
• Coordination for internal government financial,
  accountability and Parliamentary reporting
• Frameworks/criteria for evaluation and project
  selection and tracking
• Financial services
• Project contracting and contribution agreements

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Governance Principles

• Ministerial responsibility
• Ownership of GeoConnections rests with the Crown
• Therefore senior staff must hold financial
  responsibility
• National partnership program
• Program housed in NRCan but governed and
  delivered in partnership with federal,
  provincial, territorial agencies, private and
  academic sectors, communities and
  Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• Conflict of interest
• A more detailed statement with specific remedies

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Governance Principles (contd)

• Individual expertise/perspectives
• Versus organizational representation
• Dialogue, consultation and transparency for
  program
• Dual communication channels
• Communities of Practise (CoPs) communicate
  through Thematic Advisory Committees (TACs) and
  via GeoConnections Staff

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Governance Model (Draft)
IACG
Management Board
CCOG
GeoBase Steering Committee
Director

• Public Health
• Public Safety
• Env. SD
• Aboriginal
• Municipal?

Thematic Advisory Committees
Policy Advisory Committee
VMO
Internal Operations Committee
CGDI Development Network (Open)
Architecture Advisory Cttee

• Program Delivery
• Users
• Content
• Architecture
• Policy Coordination

Cross-Cutting Regional Discussion Fora
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Questions / Discussion

• Questions?
• Discussion?